RI.NOVA SOCIETA COOPERATIVA

Their core work

RI.NOVA is an Italian agricultural cooperative based in Cesena, Emilia-Romagna, operating through the CRPV (Centro Ricerche Produzioni Vegetali) network — one of Italy's leading horticultural research centres. Their core work sits at the intersection of applied plant science and sustainable farming: they test, validate, and disseminate agronomic innovations directly with and for farmers, using multi-actor approaches that bridge research labs and field practice. In EXCALIBUR, they are contributing to the practical application of bio-inocula and bio-effectors — soil microorganism products that replace or reduce synthetic fertilisers in vegetable and horticultural crops. They also have experience in digital agrifood value chain innovation, having participated in the DIVA project focused on technology adoption across agroforestry and environmental sectors.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

RI.NOVA's first H2020 project (DIVA, 2018) had no associated technical keywords, suggesting a broad innovation support or dissemination role within a digital agrifood context. By their second project (EXCALIBUR, 2019), their keyword profile sharpened considerably — bio-inocula, bio-effectors, plant health, and multi-actor approach all emerged, pointing toward a specialisation in biological crop inputs and farmer-facing knowledge exchange. The trend suggests a move from general agrifood digitalisation support toward a more defined niche in sustainable soil and plant health solutions.

RI.NOVA is moving toward a specialist role in biological crop inputs — bio-inocula and soil microbiome applications — making them a relevant partner for future projects targeting sustainable intensification, reduced chemical inputs, or organic horticulture.

How they like to work

RI.NOVA has participated in both projects as a partner, never as coordinator, which indicates they prefer to contribute specialist or practitioner knowledge within larger consortia rather than leading project management. Their 28 unique partners across 14 countries over just 2 projects suggests they operate in broad, internationally diverse consortia — typical of European agricultural research networks. This makes them a flexible, low-overhead partner suited for projects needing credible field-level validation or farmer engagement in Italian horticultural contexts.

RI.NOVA has built connections with 28 unique partners across 14 countries through only two projects, reflecting active participation in large, multi-national consortia. Their network is European in scope, with a likely practical anchor in the Emilia-Romagna horticultural region of northern Italy.

What sets them apart

RI.NOVA brings something relatively rare in EU project consortia: a cooperative with direct links to working farmers and horticultural producers in one of Europe's most productive vegetable-growing regions. This gives them credibility as a real-world testing and dissemination ground, not just a research body. For projects requiring farmer engagement, field trials in Italian horticulture, or practitioner-facing awareness campaigns, RI.NOVA offers access and legitimacy that academic partners often cannot.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EXCALIBUR
  The largest and longest of their two projects (EUR 476,625, running to 2025), it places RI.NOVA at the frontier of biological soil input research — a fast-growing field driven by EU Farm-to-Fork targets to cut synthetic fertiliser use by 20% by 2030.
• DIVA
  Demonstrates cross-sector reach beyond pure agronomy, covering digital technology adoption across agrofood, forestry, and environmental value chains.